Courtney Bay Director of Branding and Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Courtney Bay Director of Branding and Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois secured its fourth Big Ten Tournament title with a 93-87 victory over Wisconsin at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The team ended the game with an 8-2 run, claiming their second conference tournament crown in four years.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 34 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Shannon hit a crucial 3-pointer with 1:28 left to give Illinois a lead they would not relinquish. Over the weekend, he scored a total of 102 points, the second-highest in Big Ten Tournament history. He also made a career-best 15 free throws.
Marcus Domask contributed significantly with 26 points and eight assists, shooting efficiently from both the field and free-throw line. Dain Dainja added nine points off the bench, while Ty Rodgers had seven points despite foul trouble.
The game saw several lead changes and ties throughout. Wisconsin briefly led by double digits in the second half before Illinois mounted a comeback fueled by Shannon and Domask's scoring efforts.
Brad Underwood, head coach of Illinois, now holds a .636 winning percentage in Big Ten Tournament games, tying him for the best among active coaches in this category.
Illinois has shown strong performance against Wisconsin historically in this tournament setting, improving their record to 4-3 against them all-time in Big Ten Tournament play.
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